Necklace and method of forming same



' Feb. 11, 1941. v. STRAlGHT ET AL 1,485

NECKLACE AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed June 10, 1940 w Z Z Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Vere Straight and Alice S. Wilber, Laverne, Calif.

Application June 10, 1940, Serial No. 339,764

4 Claims.

Our invention has to do with necklaces and the like and methods of forming the same and, in its more particular aspects, it relates to necklaces and the like wherein individual grains of 5 corn are used as the bead elements.

While attempts have heretofore been made to utilize grains of corn as beads in the formation of necklaces and the like, those attempts have not been practicable for the reason that the grains of corn are of such weak texture that the perforations provided for stringing purposes rapidly enlarge and the grains pull out from the string after only short use. This is particularly true unless the individual grains be sufiiciently confined against longitudinal and lateral movement on the string that they do not swing or move with relation to the string. Thus, it is one of the principal objects of our invention to provide a means and method of stringing corn beads wherein the individual grains of corn are held against longitudinal and lateral movement with relation to the string and which, at the same time, accomplishes this result without rendering the necklace objectionably inflexible.

Another object of our invention is the provision of an article of this character which provides a maximum of adornment and servi-ceability and which is extremely simple and economical of manufacture.

3 Another object is the provision, in an article of this character, of simple and effective means for retaining the string of corn beads or the like in proper form and assembly regardless of hard usage.

35 Another object is the provision of a bead string wherein dyed corn grains are used as the bead elements.

How those and other objects are attained will be best understood from the following detailed description of one presently preferred embodiment of our invention wherein we make reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail illustrating one step of our invention; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the method of winding.

In general, our invention contemplates first carefully selecting grains of corn of suitable size and shape, piercing them near their base ends for the reception of a wire string, suitably treating, coloring and finishing the grains, then stringing the individual grains one atop the other on a plurality of small wire strings of substantially uniform length, then spirally winding together the strings thus formed into a single spiral string and then binding that spiral string by means of spirally winding a like wire therearound in the reverse direction. This construction and procedure produces a firmly strung, compact string of corn beads which is substantially round in cross-section, in which the individual grains of corn are displayed in neat spirals from one end of the string to the other and are held in that position regardless of stresses applied to move the individual grains longitudinally or laterally or to unwind the spiral. Having thus constructed the string, we then finish it by interwinding the respective ends of the stringing wires and preferably forming the ends into loops in which we engage suitable fabric or leather tie strings, one at each end so that the string may be fastened about the neck of the wearer. respective protruding ends of the binding wire are preferably wound about the protruding ends of the stringing wires.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein we describe in detail one exemplar of our invention, we show in Fig. 3 the first step of threading the small wires 5, 5a through the individual corn grains 6, which are pierced at 1 to pass the respective wires 5, 5a, the piercing being done through the grain adjacent the base end thereof as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. When strung in that manner, there are two parallel strings l and H of corn beads in which the grains rest one against the other. Grains of uniform size and shape are preferably selected, and we find that if the corn grains are dyed they are more adaptable for use as beads. For the dyeing we preferably use anilin and any suitable basic dye in which the grains are dipped either before or after stringing. We also lacquer or shellac the grains after they are strung and assembled. Usually it is desired, for decorative purposes, to compose one of the strings In or II of grains of one color and the other string of a distinctive color. Next the two strings l0 and H are then wound together in a spiral twist as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

After strings l0 and l I are thus spirally wound together, a third binding wire I is then spirally wound around the strands 5, 5a in the reverse direction, as best shown in Fig. 4, the wire being wound immediately around the strands 5, 5a at the base of the grains 6 so as to be invisible from the exterior of the necklace.

We then finish off the string by winding the respective protruding ends of the binding wire l5 around the protruding ends of the threading wires 5, 5a (see Fig. 1) and winding the protruding ends of the latter Wires together and forming them into a loop to receive a suitable tie strip 20 which is preferably of leather or some suitable fabric, there being one of those strips 20 at each end of the string so that they may be tied together to form the string of beads into a loop around the neck of the wearer.

In its final form the string of corn beads of our invention is substantially round in crosssection, the individual beads or grains are held snugly against each other without-making. the

string objectionably inflexible, the individual grains or beads of each string are held against lateral movement on the string by contact-with grains of an adjacent string and it is impossible to unwind the spirally wound-strings and de-' stroy the assembly without first removing the binding wire [5.

While we have described our invention as being particularly adaptable for such an article as a necklace, it is of course obvious that it may be equally Well adapted to like.

We claim: 1. An article of the classdescribed comprising a plurality of individual strings of beads or the like spirally wound together in one direction and a binder Wire spirally wound around said strings in the opposite direction.

2. A corn bead necklace of the class described bracelets, belts and the h the corn grains thereon.

- 3. An article of the class described comprising a plurality of corn grains, a plurality of wire strings threaded through said grains to provide a plurality of separate strings of grains, said strings being spirally wound together in one direction with the ends of said wire strings protruding from the grains at the respective ends of the strings, fabric tie strips, one secured to said wire strings at each of said protruding ends, and a binder wire spirally wound around the first mentioned strings in the reverse direction, the respective ends of the binder wire being looped about the first mentioned strings.

4. The method of forming a necklace or the like of string beads which comprises threading the beads onto aplurality of separate Wires, spirally winding said wires together in one direction and spirally winding a binder Wire around said wire strings in the reverse direction.

VERE STRAIGHT.

ALICE S. WILBER. 

